I'm from a small town in southeast Kansas. Graduated from high school and got married right away - back then wasn't that what you were supposed to do? I'm the mother of three daughters and when the youngest started kindergarten, I decided to go to college. I have a passion for learning. I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Washburn University in Topeka in Business, and continued in the Masters and Doctorate programs in Communications at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, where I also graduated Summa Cum Laude (told you I have a passion for learning). For several years I taught at one or the other university. Today, I'm still championing life long learning as the Executive Director of Shepherd's Center of Topeka which offers classes, activities and trips for adults over age 55. It's like being the principal of a small school and I LOVE every minute of it.

When I was little, I kept a diary. Then I became a consistent letter-writer when my husband-to-be went off to war. Then I did research as a paralegal, and then term papers in college. I rather enjoyed putting my thoughts on paper. I've been published in various academic journals, and write feature stories for TOPEKA magazine, but there's nothing quite like writing a book - unless it'd be childbirth. Months of agonizing, and painful back aches, are long forgotten the moment it arrives. I hope you'll find something of interest.

"Debra Guiou Stufflebean is a master at writing family sagas. A common theme in all of her books ispeople overcoming adversity and being willing to stand up for their convictions." Topeka Capital-Journal

A French Huguenot Legacy

From the Knights Templar to serving in the militia under George Washington, the Huguenot’s have been keepers of the faith, fighters for freedom, and left their mark on history. The Huguenots were massacred in France in the 17th century when the Royals declared “one king, one law, one religion.” Fleeing for their lives, and for the right to worship as Protestants, many walked away from lives of nobility. The French had an incredible impact on America, but rarely do we hear about the circumstances of their mass exodus. Jacques Guyon settled on Staten Island; Louis Guion settled first in Rye, then New Rochelle, NY. Follow their journeys and the lives of their descendants in a true French-American saga. Genealogy appendix will be of particular interest to Guyon-Guion-Guiou descendants and to those families with whom they intermarried.

An American Christian woman, Pamela Wentworth, and a Japanese Buddhist man, Takuho Osaki, fall in love when Tuk comes to live with Pam's family as an exchange student. Pam teaches Tuk how to restore an historic home; Tuk teaches Pam how to speak Japanese. Both teach each other about their culture - but the lessons do not end there. A mysterious box of letters brings some revelations for the two about what it really means to love someone. Secondary story tells of the life of Dr. Charles Lerrigo, "The Christmas Seal Doctor" and his wife Annabell. Includes much Topeka history, especially in College Hill.

Can memories be genetically transferred through DNA? Are dreams gifts from God? Untold Secretsspans over 150 years from the life of Mary Todd Lincoln in the 1830's to the life of Debra DeVereaux in 1980's revealing a remarkable similarity in the life stories from one generation to the next. Maybe there's a reason that history tends to repeat itself and that families repeat similar dynamics and life cycles.

A heart-tugging adventure about the Sage family's arrival into Kansas in 1854. Alfred Sage was married twice, both times to women named Mary Ann - equally strong women who helped him homestead the Mission Creek & Dover area in Shawnee County. Includes stories of John Brown, the sacking of Lawrence, the underground railroad, and the role of the Kansas Militia during Price's Raid in the Civil War.

American Heritage: Guiou - Bishop Ancestry
A family genealogy and history album researched and compiled in 2014. Published through Ancestry.com by MyCanvas. Details for reading on-line are at the bottom of the French Huguenot Legacy page.